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Early this month, the Primate of Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady, on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, wrote to the Minister for Finance to appeal to him not to cut the overseas aid budget.
The letter from Cardinal Seán Brady to the Minister for Finance:
Mr Brian Lenihan TD,
Minister for Finance,
Department of Finance,
Government Buildings,
Dublin 2.
9 October 2009
Dear Minister,
At its recent meeting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference considered the issue of Ireland’s Overseas Development Aid (ODA) allocation in the light of the significant cuts made to it over the past year and the recommendations concerning the allocation in the McCarthy report. We are fearful that if those recommendations are implemented we will see the ODA allocation cut again in the forthcoming budget and also, most likely, in the budget for 2011.
We acknowledge that we are facing significant challenges here at home at present. We know that savings must be made. However, we believe that savings made through further cuts to ODA will have a marginal impact on our own problems while having a devastating impact on the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.
For this reason the Catholic Bishops’ Conference is opposed to such cuts and urges the Government to keep the promises made to the world’s poorest people. These vulnerable people have had no part to play in creating the multiple crises now facing them – climate, financial, food – yet the challenges they face are unprecedented. I appeal to you not to turn your back on them.
In his recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict reminded us that evidence of God’s undying love “sustains us in our laborious and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples, amid successes and failures”. I believe that such awareness has sustained the Irish people in the past and is doing so again in this present crisis.
The Pope called on more economically developed nations to do everything they can to allocate larger portions of their Gross Domestic Product to development. He believes that magnanimity is the only way out of this crisis for all.
Ireland is proud of its record of standing by those in the developing world. It is a record of real magnanimity. Ireland’s aid makes a real difference in reducing poverty and inequality in some of the world’s poorest countries. Even in these difficult times, the right decision for Ireland is to show solidarity with the poor and strong leadership in honouring our international commitments.
We must ensure that we maintain our current level of aid spending until such a time as we are in a position to build it up again.
Yours sincerely,
_______________________
Cardinal Seán Brady
President
Irish Episcopal Conference
Early this month, the Primate of Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady, on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, wrote to the Minister for Finance to appeal to him not to cut the overseas aid budget.
Cardinal calls for end to cuts in overseas aid spending (27 October, Irish Times)
Aid cuts would be awful for poor, warn bishops (27 October, Irish Independent)
Cardinal calls on Lenihan not to cut overseas aid (26 October, Ireland Online)
Cardinal calls on Lenihan not to cut overseas aid (26 October, Fingal Independent)
The letter from Cardinal Seán Brady to the Minister for Finance:
Mr Brian Lenihan TD,
Minister for Finance,
Department of Finance,
Government Buildings,
Dublin 2.
9 October 2009
Dear Minister,
At its recent meeting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference considered the issue of Ireland’s Overseas Development Aid (ODA) allocation in the light of the significant cuts made to it over the past year and the recommendations concerning the allocation in the McCarthy report. We are fearful that if those recommendations are implemented we will see the ODA allocation cut again in the forthcoming budget and also, most likely, in the budget for 2011.
We acknowledge that we are facing significant challenges here at home at present. We know that savings must be made. However, we believe that savings made through further cuts to ODA will have a marginal impact on our own problems while having a devastating impact on the lives of some of the world’s poorest people.
For this reason the Catholic Bishops’ Conference is opposed to such cuts and urges the Government to keep the promises made to the world’s poorest people. These vulnerable people have had no part to play in creating the multiple crises now facing them – climate, financial, food – yet the challenges they face are unprecedented. I appeal to you not to turn your back on them.
In his recent encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict reminded us that evidence of God’s undying love “sustains us in our laborious and stimulating work for justice and the development of peoples, amid successes and failures”. I believe that such awareness has sustained the Irish people in the past and is doing so again in this present crisis.
The Pope called on more economically developed nations to do everything they can to allocate larger portions of their Gross Domestic Product to development. He believes that magnanimity is the only way out of this crisis for all.
Ireland is proud of its record of standing by those in the developing world. It is a record of real magnanimity. Ireland’s aid makes a real difference in reducing poverty and inequality in some of the world’s poorest countries. Even in these difficult times, the right decision for Ireland is to show solidarity with the poor and strong leadership in honouring our international commitments.
We must ensure that we maintain our current level of aid spending until such a time as we are in a position to build it up again.
Yours sincerely,
_______________________
Cardinal Seán Brady
President
Irish Episcopal Conference
New EU report confirms that Europeans Don’t Care Any Less about global development
A recent EU-commissioned opinion poll found that around 90% of Europeans still believe development is important, and that 72% of Europeans are in favour of honouring or going beyond existing aid commitments to the developing world.
· More than 92% of Irish respondents said that it was “important” to help people in developing countries, the fourth highest level of support for development cooperation among the 27 countries.
· Despite the economic crisis, 65% of Irish respondents found that we should exceed or at least honour our aid commitment (contrasted with 13% who argued it should be cut).
In other words, despite the crisis, people in Ireland do care about overseas aid.
“This poll clearly shows that citizens expect their governments and the EU Commission to dig deep for development financing”, said EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Karel De Gucht. “Even in the context of the economic crisis, I appeal again to the EU Member States to stick to their commitments to increase development aid up to € 69 billion by 2010 to meet the mid term target of the Millennium Development Goals”.
The Special Eurobarometer n°318 on “Development Aid in time of economic turmoil” was conducted in May-June 2009 and was aimed at assessing whether the economic downturn affected public support for development cooperation in European countries.
The entire report is available at:
Irish aid agencies told the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday 3 September that aid cuts mean deaths in developing countries and called for the cuts to cease.
Speaking at the meeting, Trócaire director Justin Kilcullen said the use by the Government of the 0.7% target to bolster its case for cuts was a “perversion” of the intentions of the UN. Trócaire is ending its programmes in Zambia, Nigeria, Peru and Indonesia, while Concern says it has to cut 500 jobs worldwide.
During the debate, Senator John Hanafin and Deputy Noel Treacy asked whether aid could be tied to Irish products.
Tom Arnold of Concern responded that “part of the Irish Aid programme’s international reputation is due to the fact it is untied.” He argued that much of the growing trade links between Ireland and Tanzania were due to the goodwill generated by the Irish Aid programme, linked to the fact that it was untied. He also pointed out that tied food aid from the United States has been heavily criticised.
For more info, see:
Transcript of the debate in the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee: http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=FOJ20090903.xml&Node=H3#H3
RTE News coverage of the NGO presentation: http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0903/9news_av.html?2603887,null,230
This Saturday, five church leaders publicly expressed their support for continued investment in development cooperation.
A letter, published in the Irish Times, called on the government to stay the course on overseas aid, and attain the 0.7% target by 2012.
Read the Church Leaders’
statement here
OVERSEAS AID COMMITMENTS
Irish Times – Sat, Sep 12, 2009
Madam,
Ireland is at a crucial moment in its history. Faced with serious challenges, the choices it makes now – as a country and society – will chart its course for many years to come. Notwithstanding the current difficulties within the Irish economy and the pressure these difficulties place on Irish people, in deciding how it responds to these challenges, Ireland must also stay true to its core values – those which define it as a nation within the international community –values such as solidarity, co-operation and integrity.
Publicly and politically, Ireland’s partnership with the developing world runs deep. Development and humanitarian policies sit at the heart of its foreign policy and this reflects an intention and an ambition to engage with the wider world in ways that promote peace, development, prosperity and justice. Ireland’s long-standing commitment to increasing the volume and quality of its development and humanitarian assistance has strengthened its effectiveness as a development actor and ensured an international reputation as a progressive donor.
Unfortunately, both have been overshadowed over the past 12 months by four successive cuts to the overseas aid budget that have totalled €255 million. These cuts have already had huge implications for the poorest and most vulnerable across the developing world – hindering progress in health and education, undermining Ireland’s goal to help tackle hunger and, in some instances, threatening the lives and livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable of our world.
Ireland is well placed to make a meaningful and lasting contribution to the elimination of hunger and poverty. This country’s ability to show leadership and nurture development has been demonstrated in the past. In these most challenging times, Ireland can and should respond to the needs of the world’s poorest people with a clear determination to do the right thing. Ireland can and should show leadership and honour its international commitments on overseas aid by 2012 as it declared it would.
We call on Ireland to stay the course on overseas aid by demonstrating its commitment in these difficult times – not turning its back on those living in poverty, for whom things are immeasurably tougher. Ireland can and should get back on track as a nation and keep its promise to spend 0.7 per cent of national income on official development assistance by 2012.
Yours, etc,
Cardinal SEÁN BRADY, Catholic Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop, Armagh;
ALAN HARPER, Church of Ireland Primate of All Ireland, Armagh;
Rev STAFFORD CARSON, Moderator, Presbyterian Church in Ireland, Belfast;
Rev DONALD KER, President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, Belfast;
ALAN PIM, Clerk of Ireland Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Dublin.
 left to right: Oscar Sibanda (Drogheda Utd), Victor Ekanem (Shamrock Rovers) and Chukwuemeka Onwubiko (Bray Wanderers)
The SARI Soccerfest, led by Brian Kerr, brings together over 40 men and women’s teams from a wide range of nationalities, now living in Ireland, making it the largest intercultural football tournament in Ireland.
Concern’s Stop Child Labour KiteFest will see kite flyers from around the world coming together to display and fly their spectacular kites to raise awareness of child labour in the developing world.
Further information www.sari.ie or www.stopchildlabour.net
Opinion Polls Show Overwhelming Support for Overseas Aid
 Results of the Evening Herald Poll 11/09/09 Earlier this month, Trócaire published the results of a TNS/MRBI opinion poll it commissioned. The survey found that while a majority believed Government spending on overseas aid was much higher than is the case (as much as 10% of national income, compared with the actual figure of 0.48%), most respondents supported an increase in the aid budget.
Similarly, on September 10th, HeraldAM asked readers in its daily poll if they agreed with the Irish Governments decision to cut overseas aid by €222million in order to help restore public finances. “An overwhelming majority of HeraldAM readers disagree with the cuts.”
 222 people protest at the Department of Finance. 9/9/2009.Photo:Leon Farrell Photocall Ireland. This week, Ireland’s aid agencies called on the government to ‘get back on track’ with its overseas aid promise to reach the 0.7% GDP target by 2012.
Gathering outside the Department of Finance, 222 people representing the €222 million cut from the Irish aid budget this year, declared that, even in difficult economic times, we do care about the poorest people of our world.
 Demonstrators outside the Department of Finance
This year, the Government has cut overseas aid by €222 million, or 24% of the budget for 2009.
“At a time when the world’s most vulnerable people are already feeling the impact of the financial crisis and the effects of climate change – caused by rich nations – we want to remind the government that Irish people want our long-standing solidarity with the poorest people of our world to continue.
“As a nation, we do not want to see the weakest and most vulnerable suffer disproportionately” said Hans Zomer, Director of Dóchas, the network of Ireland’s aid agencies.
“To target the poorest and most vulnerable who have done least to cause this crisis is a terrible injustice. The government needs to get back on track and keep its promise to the world’s poor”, said Zomer.
 Photo: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland.
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